Onboard the intimate 16-passenger Anahi motor vessel, this will be a Galapagos vacation that you will never forget. With unparalleled stability, your cruise is guaranteed to be a restful and relaxed one. Enjoy close encounters with armies of marine iguanas, hundreds of seabirds — including the Waved albatross, Flightless cormorants, and Magnificent frigatebirds — and visit the home of "Lonesome George", the most emblematic of Galapagos giant turtles. On this once in a lifetime 8-day/7-day Galapagos Islands vacation on board the Anahi motor catamaran, you will explore the archipelago’s eastern islands, providing you with a treasure-trove of wildlife viewing opportunities. This carefully planned itinerary covers the main highlights of the Galapagos Islands; taking its lead, you will enjoy a flexible program that offers several alternative daily activities — on land an in the water — but always amidst the stunning wealth of unique wildlife that inhabits these famous islands.

Testimonials

“We loved the Galapagos Islands. Both of our hotels on Santa Cruz and Isabella islands were excellent. Our tour guides were knowledgeable and directed us to the most interesting sights and wildlife. Thanks Surtrek for organizing an excellent trip.”Catherine Anne Woodruff

Anahi Catamaran: Detailed Itinerary

AM: In the morning, you will fly from Quito or Guayaquil (on the Ecuadorian mainland) to Baltra Island, in the heart of Galapagos archipelago and the main point of entrance to this natural paradise. Upon your arrival at the airport, you will need to pay the national park entry fee, which goes to protecting both the Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve. A member of the ship's crew will welcome you and accompany you to your catamaran: the M/C Anahi.

PM: We will arrive on the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island, where we will visit the long and sandy Bachas Beach, one of the most important nesting beaches for sea turtles. Here you can find flamingos, Black-winged stilts, sea lions, herons, marine iguanas, and — with a little bit of luck — tiny Galapagos penguins. In addition, this beach is one of the main nesting sites of sea turtles in the Galapagos. A female can lay eggs 3 or 4 times with an average of 70 eggs each, but they then spend 3 to 5 years without breeding. At this paradisiacal site, we will also find the remains of barges that sank long ago, once the property of the United States Navy when they operated an airbase on Baltra Island during World War II. That is why the beach is called “Bachas” because the word “barges” in English was hard to pronounce for the local people. You will also have the opportunity to swim on this soft white sand beach or explore the fascinating underwater by snorkeling.

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Lunch - Dinner

Day 2 - Saturday

Genovesa Island: Darwin Bay – El Barranco

AM: Our destination for today is Genovesa Island, considered to be one of the wildest and most pristine islands in Galapagos National Park. Known as “Bird Island,” Genovesa is the only place where you can see Red-footed boobies. After a wet landing in Genovesa Island’s Darwin Bay, we will walk along a short path that leads through the nesting sites of booby and frigatebird colonies. On the beach, you can observe the interesting spectacle of how frigate birds try to rob the prey of the different species of boobies.

PM: This afternoon we are off to the El Barranco cliffs. Located on Genovesa Island in the southern part of Darwin Bay, a 1.5-kilometer trail stretches out over volcanic rock that leads to this cliff and takes about two hours to cover. The second half of the trail is very delicate, so please stay on the path. It can get very hot so make sure to bring water. Because of the natural erosion, this is the ideal place for the nesting of storm petrels. Two other species of petrels that can be seen here are the Galapagos petrel and the Wooden petrel. Red-footed boobies and Nazca boobies can be seen here as well as fur seals and several species of seabirds.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 3 - Sunday

South Plazas Island // Santa Fe Island

AM: Today we will explore South Plaza Island, located east of Santa Cruz Island. After a dry landing on the northern part of this life-filled islet, you will encounter colonies of sea lions and land iguanas. While on the steep banks you can see numbers of birds like nesting Tropicbirds and Fork-tailed seagulls, but most of all, you will enjoy the beautiful views from either atop the steep banks or while strolling along the base of the cliff. Opuntia cactuses grow on this island and the vegetation changes color throughout the year.

PM: This afternoon we will visit Santa Fe Island, a small rocky island covered in small Palo Santo trees and six-meter-high opuntia cactuses. The island is inhabited mainly by large yellow land iguanas, Galapagos buzzards, Blue-footed boobies, and pelicans. While snorkeling in the wonderful blue-green bay in which the ship anchors, you can observe the many inhabitants of this underwater world, including countless tropical fish, rays, sea turtles and playful sea lions.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 4 - Monday

San Cristobal Island: Punta Pitt – Kicker Rock – Lobos Island

AM: In the morning we will visit Punta Pitt, on the eastern side of San Cristóbal Island. After a high-intensity hike on rocky terrain along a 1.4 km-long path and several magnificent lookout points, you will make your way through colonies of Frigatebirds and Fork-tailed seagulls. What’s more, this is probably the only site in the world where you can see all three species of boobies – Masked, Red- and Blue-footed ones. In addition to its great range of seabirds, Punta Pitt is also excellent for dinghy rides and snorkeling.

PM: In the afternoon we will follow the route that Charles Darwin once took and sail around the massive tuff-rock called "Kicker Rock,” which is a nesting site for hosts of seabirds. Here, you will be able to find Blue-footed boobies, pelicans, and frigate birds. This is a great site for scuba diving, and hammerhead sharks can be seen in the area. Later we will visit Lobos Island, located across from San Cristobal Island. This is a seasonal nesting location for Blue-footed boobies and Frigatebirds. You also can enjoy swimming and snorkeling with sea lions in the island’s calm bay.

AM: Following breakfast, we will visit the highlands of San Cristobal Island. One of the main features on this island is the Tortoise Breeding Center, where you will also see enormous Galapagos tortoises and iguanas. The natural population of tortoises from San Cristobal Island is seriously threatened by introduced animals – mainly wild goats, rats, and cats. Efforts are being made to eradicate them, but so far these have not been successful. Close to the center is an easy trail that covers a distance of 900 meters; along this trail, you will see different species of native and endemic plants of the Galapagos, like cat’s claw, manzanillo, romerillo, and acacia. Be careful not to touch or eat the manzanillo fruits as these are toxic. San Cristóbal Island is also one of the few islands where you can see the plant calandrinia galapagosa, which is in danger of extinction.

PM: At the port of Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of Ecuador’s Galapagos Province, we will visit San Cristobal Island’s Interpretation Center, an excellent place to learn about nature and settlement history of the archipelago. Here you will discover displays with information about the volcanic origins of the islands, ocean currents, the archipelago’s climate, and facts concerning the arrival of the different species and their colonization. The islands’ human history is also showcased, chronologically narrating the most significant events related to the discovery and settlements of the Galapagos. Later we will hike up the hill called “Las Tijeretas,” the common local name for “Frigatebirds.” In addition to a spectacular view of the bay and the rooftops of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (the Galapagos’ provincial capital), you can also observe many of those birds.

AM: Española is the southernmost, oldest and one of the most bio-diverse islands of the Galapagos archipelago. Its English name is “Hood Island,” in honor of the British admiral Samuel Hood. Because of its isolated position, there is much endemic wildlife to be explored here – in addition to great snorkeling from Española’s remarkably beautiful beaches. After breakfast, we will go on an excursion to Suarez Point, one of the archipelago’s most outstanding wildlife areas, boasting a long list of species along its cliffs and its sand and pebble beaches. In addition to five species of nesting seabirds, there are the curious and bold Española Island mockingbirds, while other birding favorites include Galapagos doves, Galapagos hawks, Swallow-tailed gulls and the world’s largest colony of Waved albatross, an unequivocal highlight during mating season (May-December). Several types of reptiles are unique to this island, including the marine iguana and the oversized lava lizard. In fact, this is also the only site where you will be able to see “red” sea iguanas. In addition, when heavy swells are running, Suarez Point is the site of a spectacular blowhole whose thundering spray shoots 30 yards up into the air. The trek here is on a stony path about a mile long. (Excursion duration: about 3 hours)

PM: The small Gardner Island, situated across from Espanola Island’s Gardner Bay, is lined with vertical cliffs that drop to sandy ledges and large boulders. While snorkeling, you are likely to encounter the smallest of the Galapagos garden eels, snake eels, as well as Black-spotted morays, Galapagos puffer fish, Scorpionfish, Trumpet fish, cornetfish and Red-lipped batfish. You will be able to see many sea lions lying lazily on the beach. On the north end of the island are twisting tunnels, and to the south are caves that make for an interesting excursion. The area has an abundance of fish including schools of snappers, Creole fish, King Angelfish, large Pufferfish, and a variety of sea urchins and sea stars. We will also take a tour around Osborn islet, located close to Española Island. It is made of volcanic rock and is a popular fishing site among local small-scale fishers. On this Galapagos islet, you will have a chance to go snorkeling and see schools of tropical fish, Manta rays, Green turtles, Surgeonfish, Sea urchins, and starfish.

AM: Today we will visit Floreana Island, considered to be one of the most exotic in the Galapagos archipelago. Countless legends are part of the history of this island, as pirates and buccaneers were drawn to here in search of for food and water. Later the island was colonized by Norwegians, Brits, Germans and others who were in search of ways to make money from what they hoped to discover here. The name Floreana is in honor of Juan Jose Flores, Ecuador’s first president. This morning’s excursion is to the Cormorant Point visitor site. After a wet landing on the beach, we will go down a 100-meter-long path to a mangrove lagoon, which is home to Galapagos ducks, black herons, oystercatchers, and plovers. With a little bit of luck, you might also see flamingos. Another path leads to a small beach that is an important nesting site for sea turtles. In the shallow water here, one can often find stingrays and Whitetip reef sharks now and then. You will be able to take advantage of the great snorkeling opportunity at “Devil’s Crown,” a broken volcanic cone that is one of the most beautiful places to go snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands. The underwater world here includes reef sharks, starfish, sea turtles, sea lions and many species of tropical fish.

PM: Later we will visit Post Office Bay, where the legendary post barrel that whalers historically used to put their mail in is still kept. You can leave a letter here in hopes that it will make to its destination via another tourist.…so don’t forget to bring postcards along. Snorkelers can take a dip on the main beach among the playful sea lions and green sea turtles. Snorkelers can swim on the main beach among playful sea lions. Next, we will visit the lookout point where the controversial “Baroness” Eloisa de Wagner, one of the first human inhabitants in the Galapagos Islands, would spend several hours daily observing whales and dolphins.

AM: This morning we will head for one of the most visited spots in the islands. Located on Santa Cruz Island, the Charles Darwin Research Station is primarily an international scientific research station situated on the outskirts of Puerto Ayora. You will be taken to its visitor center to learn about the geology, climate, natural history and the conservation of the Galapagos Islands. However, the highlight of your visit here will undoubtedly be the research facility’s Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center, which reproduces captive giant tortoises. These enormous and slow-moving reptiles can live up to 150 years and weigh between 250 and 300 kg. This means that approaching them in their humid and forested spaces is always an inspiring adventure. For decades, the Fausto Center was home to “Lonesome George,” who finally died in 2012 as the last of his particular species. The tortoises you see here are accustomed to humans, so it’s an excellent spot for visitors to take photographs with them. Remember that looking at the animals is allowed, but touching is not, and it’s absolutely forbidden to jump over the walls or open the pen doors at any time.

Concluding this amazing experience in the Galapagos Islands, you will be transferred to the Baltra Island airport for your return flight to the Ecuadorian mainland. Enjoy the last look back at the “enchanted islands,” a unique paradise with inspiring natural wonders.